swoop

American  

[swoop] / swup /

verb (used without object)

1. to sweep through the air, as a bird or a bat, especially down upon prey.

2. to come down upon something in a sudden, swift attack (often followed by down and on orupon ).

   The army swooped down on the town.

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verb (used with object)

1. to take, lift, scoop up, or remove with or as with one sweeping motion (often followed by up, away, oroff ).

   He swooped her up in his arms.

noun

1. an act or instance of swooping; a sudden, swift descent.

   Synonyms:

   drop, sweep, plunge, dive

idioms

1. at / in one fell swoop, all at once or all together, as if by one blow.

   The quake flattened the houses at one fell swoop.

swoop British  

/ swuːp /

verb

1. (intr; usually foll by down, on, or upon) to sweep or pounce suddenly

2. (tr; often foll by up, away, or off) to seize or scoop suddenly

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noun

1. the act of swooping

2. a swift descent

swoop More Idioms  

1. see one fell swoop.

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Etymology

Origin of swoop

1535–45; variant (with close ō ) of Middle English swopen, Old English swāpan to sweep ¹; cognate with German schweifen

Example Sentences

Muckle is primarily invested in index funds but regularly buys the dip in individual stocks, he said, sometimes waiting to see negative headlines about a company or sector before swooping in.

From The Wall Street Journal

Buffett is famous for stockpiling cash when prices are too high for his liking—then swooping in when bargains and other opportunities arise.

From The Wall Street Journal

Aung San's wartime comrade Ne Win, who had taken the helm of the armed forces after the leader's assassination in murky circumstances, swooped in in a putsch he justified as protection against Myanmar's disintegration.

From Barron's

On “The Bear,” his last guest star role, Albert Schnur knocks our trust off balance by swooping into Ebra’s life, expecting to find disorganization, and enthusiastically respecting that Ebra has his act together.

From Salon

Starc returned after lunch, Jacks edged and, for the second time in the match, Labuschagne swooped low to his left to claim a sensational one-handed grab.

From BBC

Related Words

• dive
• plummet
• pounce